intimate friend that he had in the city to tell them of his good
fortune.

Miss Nermal was no less reserved in her joy. She told the good news
everywhere to all her associates. Love had transformed this modest,
reserved young woman into a being that would not have hesitated to
declare her love upon a house-top.

CHAPTER XI.

NO BEFITTING NAME.

Happy Belton now began to give serious thought to the question of
getting married. He desired to lead Antoinette to the altar as soon as
possible and then he would be sure of possessing the richest treasure
known to earth. And when he would speak of an early marriage she would
look happy and say nothing in discouragement of the idea. She was
Belton's, and she did not care how soon he claimed her as his own.

His poverty was his only barrier. His salary was small, being only
fifty dollars a month. He had not held his position long enough to
save up very much money. He decided to start up an enterprise that
would enable him to make money a great deal faster.

The colored people of Richmond at that time had no newspaper or
printing office. Belton organized a joint stock company and started a
weekly journal and conducted a job printing establishment. This paper
took well and was fast forging to the front as a decided success.

It began to lift up its voice against frauds at the polls and to
champion the cause of honest elections. It contended that practicing
frauds was debauching the young men, the flower of the Anglo-Saxon
race. One particularly meritorious article was copied in _The Temps_
and commented upon editorially. This article created a great stir in
political circles.

A search was instituted as to the authorship. It was traced to Belton,
and the politicians gave the school board orders to dump Belton
forthwith, on the ground that they could not afford to feed and clothe
a man who would so vigorously "attack Southern Institutions," meaning
by this phrase the universal practice of thievery and fraud at the
ballot box. Belton was summarily dismissed.

His marriage was of necessity indefinitely postponed. The other
teachers were warned to give no further support to Belton's paper on
pain of losing their positions. They withdrew their influence from
Belton and he was, by this means, forced to give up the enterprise.

He was now completely without an occupation, and began to look around
for employment. He decided to make a trial of politics. A campaign
came